Another Day
by Gabs
Summary: AU; Sydney never joined SD-6, instead aligning herself with Sark... until the CIA enters their life. {Chapter 2 added}
1. Chapter 1

**Another Day**

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own them, not making any money, etc etc.

**_A/N:_**_ This was written for CQ's fic challenge at SD-1.com. The elements- fic must be AU, must contain the line '__Yeah, that's what they all say--then they steal your peanut butter and jelly sandwich,' and must have something in the future of the story precede something in the past {Flashback, etc}. This is part 1 of 4 or 5.___

Sydney Bristow stared quietly at the cool sunrise of the early morning. It had become her one true comfort ritual, and the one thing she would never give up willingly. The steadying silence was broken just moments later.

        "Do you never sleep in, Syd?" a groggy voice asked.

        "No, and you already knew that," she replied. He tiredly dropped down in one of their metal deck chairs.

        "And why is that again?" She glanced over to him, slightly annoyed, before leaning against the railing and continuing to watch the sunrise.

        "We've gone over this before. With our line of work, we're never guaranteed another day; I never know which sunrise may be my last. I intend to fully enjoy each and every one of them."

        "Cheery thought," he mumbled. Sydney sighed.

        "Yes, well, that exact principle was almost demonstrated to us last week, remember?" He looked up at her, eyes intense, and nodded slowly.

        "Of course I do. I will never forget that." He reached out and took hold of her hand as she sat down next to him, both lost in their own thoughts.

        {9 days earlier}

        "I'm just not sure we can trust him," Sydney stated nervously.

        "Why not?" Sark questioned. "He is your father."

        "By blood only. I'm almost thirty years old, Adam, and I have never known Jack Bristow. That one simple biological fact isn't cause enough for me to trust him implicitly." Sark nodded before moving on to his next question.

        "Are you even considering it?" Sydney thought for a brief moment, then gave a slight nod.

        "Yes, I am. After all, SD-6 and the Alliance have been the proverbial thorns in our sides for years now. If we help the CIA capture Arvin Sloane, it may make things easier for us."

        "Or, it could allow the CIA to devote more of their time and resources to capturing you." Sean Sterben, a longtime associate, spoke up for the first time.

        "That's true…" Sark trailed off, and Sydney easily picked up on his line of thought.

        "But the CIA has been after us for the last six years, and they've gotten nowhere fast. There's no reason to believe that just because the Alliance is gone, they'll get any closer to us." She and Sark locked eyes.

        "It's your call," Sark said softly. Sydney released a breath, and then nodded.

        "We'll do it. We'll help the CIA take down SD-6, but only because it's going to be beneficial to us. I still want absolutely nothing to do with Jack Bristow." With that said, she stood up and walked into the lush German home she and Sark shared on the banks of the river Rhein.

        "Something feels very… off… about this whole thing," Sean said cautiously.

        "I trust Sydney to make the right decision," Sark replied.

        "Oh, so do I, really I do. But come on… working with the CIA? That's… not really smart." Sark glared at him, and Sean held up his hands.

        "Ok, ok, listen… I'm just looking out for the two of you, ok? You can't trust the CIA, and you know that as well as I do. Sure, Sydney may get a promise from them that as soon as this Sloane guy is captured, you two will be free to walk, but do you really believe that?"

        "No. But we'll find a way out. We always do." Sydney rejoined them a moment later.

        "I spoke to… him," she began.

        "Who, your dad?" Sean asked. Sark glared at him again, and Sean shrugged.

        "Yes," Sydney replied through gritted teeth. "We'll be meeting tomorrow morning in London, and he swore there would be nothing else going on." Sean sighed.

        "Yeah, that's what they all say… then they steal your peanut butter and jelly sandwich." Sydney stared at him in confusion as he stood up and left. She swung her glance to Sark, who shrugged.

        "I don't understand him either." Still looking baffled, Sydney turned and walked back into the house. Sark watched her in amusement before following her in a short time later.

        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        Early the next morning, Sark and Sydney were walking through Piccadilly Circus in London, on their way to the underground tube station. They would board a train there and take it to Covent Garden, where they were meeting with Jack. Those stations had been chosen simply because they tended to be more 'touristy' areas, and were guaranteed to have a crowd, thus offering a measure of protection to all involved.

        As they got on board the Piccadilly line, Sark and Sydney were speaking quietly.

        "Sydney, we've been working together for eight years now, but you've never truly explained your issues with your father." She rolled her eyes.

        "You picked a great spot to discuss this," she mumbled.

        "It's my gift," he replied. She chuckled lightly, then turned serious.

        "Ok. You know the story about my mother- how she disappeared, wasn't really who she said she was, KGB, all that. What you don't know is that after we lost her, my father fell apart. I know now that he must have been keeping himself busy at the CIA, but back then, I thought he just didn't care anymore, that maybe he didn't love me… or, maybe he just never did. He wasn't there for my first high school softball game, my first date, my 16th birthday… I'm not even sure if he was at my high school graduation. I never knew him at all, Adam. So, on my 19th birthday, I ran away from home… and never looked back." Sark was silent for a long moment. As he finally began to formulate a reply, Sydney interrupted him.

        "Look- Covent Garden. Let's go." He grasped her hand as they stopped out into the station.

        "We'll continue this discussion later," he stated. She angled her head and stared at him.

        "There's nothing left to discuss here." She freed her hand and began to lead the way out. Sark, however, had seen the way she tried to hide her tears as she spoke of her father, and he knew the conversation was most certainly far from over.

        After a few minutes of walking, Sydney and Sark had made their way to Drury Lane and were searching for a hotel- the Drury Lane Moat House. They were to meet Jack at Maudies, a bar/restaurant within the hotel.

        "There, on the left," Sydney said as she spotted their destination. Sark's hand on her shoulder stopped her from going in.

        "Are you sure about this?" she sighed, then shook her head slightly.

        "No… not at all. Actually, it may well be the worst idea I've ever had."

        "But we're still going through with it," Sark added.

        "Yes."        

        "Are you sure there are no ulterior motives involved?" he questioned, receiving an annoyed glare in response.

        "Don't start," she warned, shrugging his hand away and walking into Maudies. Sark sighed, but followed her in.

        It didn't take them long to spot Jack Bristow, seated in a secluded corner not far from the door. He didn't glance up as they entered, nor even as they sat across for him.

        "I'll admit, I'm surprised you came," Jack noted.

        "I said we would, didn't I?" He finally looked up.

        "Yes, you did. But while it's fairly obvious that my word means nothing to you, your word alone doesn't hold up too well with me either." Sark refrained from commenting, choosing instead to simply watch the tense stare down between father and daughter.

        "Oh? And why is that? Because my leaving damaged your pride?" she asked venomously. Jack gave her a bemused look.

        "Hardly. I just find it difficult to trust someone who would ally herself with an internationally wanted assassin… even if that someone was my daughter." His wording caught Sark's attention, and before Sydney could fire off a retort, he butted in.

        "[I]_Was_[/I] your daughter?" he questioned. Jack barely spared him a glance.

        "Yes, past tense. She isn't my daughter anymore." Sark saw the pain flash across Sydney's face, but knew it would be imperceptible to Jack.

        "Fine by me. You were never truly a father to begin with." This time, the pain registered in Jack's eyes. Sark had finally had enough, and he interceded again.

        "Shall we just skip the rest of these pleasantries and commence with business?" Sydney and Jack each looked away from the other, and after a heavy silence, Jack spoke first.

        "Obviously, since you're here, you have some interest in seeing SD-6 destroyed, and hopefully the Alliance with it. I'll also assume that, for some reason or another, you believed me when I promised I would be here alone, as I trusted you two to be." Sydney nodded slightly, still refusing to look at him again.

        "So we do have some common ground… it's a start," Sark muttered. Jack ignored him, continuing right where he had left off.

        "The key to all of this is Sloane. SD-6 is perhaps the most powerful arm of the Alliance, and if we destroy that, the rest should fall in its wake. We'd been growing closer to this goal- the CIA has had two double agents within SD-6, one of them a man named Spike Nash. Unfortunately, his cover was somehow blown last week. His body was found two days ago, barely recognizable." Sydney, now entranced in Jack's tale, was finally looking at him, listening intently to every word.

        "Nash was in for three years, and he got us close- very close. We've estimated that if we can get someone back in there to pick up where he left off, it should only take another week, two tops. The Alliance is scrambling to keep SD-6 afloat, but if we waste any time whatsoever, all of Nash's work will be lost." Sydney and Sark exchanged glances.

        "So where do we come into play? I highly doubt we could just stroll in and inquire about any open positions within a secretive terrorist organization," Sydney sniped.

        "You could always try that, but I wouldn't suggest it," Jack replied dryly.

        "So what is the plan? I know you wouldn't have come here without one in mind," Sark stated.

        "You are correct. You, Sydney, will need to find a way to infiltrate SD-6 and gain Sloane's trust… all in the space of two days."

        "Why her? Why not me?" Sark demanded.

        "You're both rather well known, as I'm sure you're aware. But Sydney has a distinctive advantage, at least in this case."

        "And what might that be?" Sydney asked warily.

        "You're my daughter," Jack said simply. Sydney and Sark exchanged looks.

        "How will that be beneficial? Doesn't Sloane know you're CIA?" Jack almost smiled at that.

        "I mentioned that we've had two double agents within SD-6. What I didn't mention… is that you're talking to the other one."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews, guys! Much appreciated! I'll try to be quicker on the rest of the updates; the challenge ends Oct. 4th.**

Two days later, Sydney and Sark were in a Los Angeles hotel room, waiting for Jack to arrive and detail what would happen next. Watching Sydney pace the room, Sark finally broke the silence.  
"Sydney…" he began cautiously. She stopped her motions and looked at him expectantly. When he didn't continue speaking, she raised an eyebrow at him.  
"Adam?" He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, unsure of how to broach the subject.  
"I'm not really sure of the best way to go about this, so… I'll just say it. I think we need to talk. Right now." Sydney looked worried, but maintained her composure.  
"About what?"  
"Your father." The worry faded from her face, replaced by a mixture of anger and annoyance.  
"I told you before, that subject is closed. It is _off limits_, understand?"  
"I understand perfectly, Sydney. You don't wish to discuss it because you can't admit how much it hurts. You don't hate him because he's not your father; you're angry with him because he is."  
"Stay out of it Sark. You don't know enough about the situation to make judgments like that."  
"Oh really? I know what you told me, and I know what I saw in London. That gives me plenty to base my opinions on."  
"I see. Well please, Adam, enlighten me. Impart your wisdom upon me." Her sarcasm didn't even faze him; he merely nodded in acquiescence and continued speaking.  
"You and your father don't despise one another the way you both would have everyone else believe, and neither of you truly wants to abolish your relationship. You both have too much stubborn pride to be the first to apologize for any past transgressions, and until one of you can take that first step, you'll simply continue playing this utterly ridiculous game that's been going on for far too long now. And before you even ask how I drew these conclusions, I'll tell you: it was completely obvious just by observing the two of you for a mere half hour. If either of you truly despised the other, you wouldn't have been so hurt by the things that were said. Don't bother denying it, I was there. Each of you was wounded by something the other said, and that, to me, proves that there's no way you can honestly-" Sydney finally cut him off.  
"Stop it!" she pleaded. He immediately fell silent, knowing she had more to say.  
"Yes, Adam, you're right. I don't hate him; all I ever wanted from him was acceptance. I didn't expect any kind of 'normal' father-daughter relationship, I just wanted to know that he cared. You're correct on all accounts… are you happy now?" she demanded, stubbornly fighting back tears.  
"Of course I'm not happy, Sydney. I don't want to hurt you, but you have the opportunity now to perhaps fix things with your father. I didn't want you to just pass that up." Before she could reply, there was a knock at the door.  
"He has the worst timing…" she said lightly.  
"Shall I answer it?" Sark questioned.  
"No… I'd like to." He nodded and moved to take a seat.  
"Be right there!" Sydney called, rushing to the sink to wash her face quickly before hurrying to the door. She pulled it open, and almost slammed it shut again.  
"Who the hell is that?" she demanded, seeing another, younger man standing behind her father.  
"If you'd kindly let us in, I'll explain." She stepped aside, permitting them entry, before closing and locking the door.  
"Thank you. I didn't think it would be a good idea for me to risk being spotted in a hotel with a CIA agent and two internationally known freelance assassins," Jack said flippantly.  
"So he's a CIA agent?" Sydney asked. Jack glanced back at his companion.  
"Yes. He was Spike Nash's handler, as a matter of fact, and for that reason, he has an understandable- if entirely too personal- interest in seeing this case through." The CIA agent gave Jack a look before holding his hand out to Sydney.  
"Michael Vaughn," he said quietly. Sydney looked at his outstretched hand, but made no move to take it. Jack looked somewhat amused as Vaughn hesitantly pulled back.  
"Is he going to be my handler?"   
"Not quite, but you will be working together."  
"Not quite? Would you mind clarifying?"  
"We're going to get you into SD-6 on the premise that you, being my daughter, have decided to end your days as a freelancer, and come work with me at SD-6. As such, you'll be given any information you need by me."  
"So where does he come into the equation?" Sark questioned.  
"Vaughn will be working more with you, Mr. Sark. He'll be passing along information from Sydney and myself, and any missions Sydney might have, you will show up and intercept whatever it is." Sark nodded  
"And what am I supposed to do then? Hand it over to the CIA?"  
"Fortunately, we're not anticipating her being there long enough to be sent on any missions, so that's something we'll only worry about if it actually does pop up," Vaughn threw in. Sark smirked.  
"Very well. If that's all I'm needed for, I believe I hear a bath calling me." Sydney smiled at him as he walked away. Only when she heard the water running did she turn her attention back to the two CIA agents. She caught sight of Vaughn writing something on a small white card. A moment later, he looked up at her.  
"Miss Bristow, you'll-" she cringed and held up a hand.  
"Just… call me Sydney, please." Looking slightly surprised, he nodded.  
"Ok Sydney, you'll be working almost exclusively with your father, but I wanted to give you my cell number, in case of emergency." He held out the card, and she accepted it, looking at it briefly before tucking it into her pocket.  
"Thank you," she said sincerely. He nodded, then smiled at her.  
"You're welcome." She shifted her focus to Jack.  
"So what's the plan?"  
"I'll be here tomorrow morning, and you'll go into SD-6 with me. I'll introduce you to Sloane, and he'll decide if you're SD-6 material- I can practically assure you that the answer is yes. From there, it's up to you to gain his trust." Sydney nodded in understanding.  
"All right. Is there anything else?"  
"No, nothing. You'd better get some sleep; I'll see you in the morning." Once Jack and Vaughn were gone, Sydney turned her attention to getting ready for bed. A few moments later, the bathroom door opened. Sark walked out, wrapping a towel around his waist in the process  
"That look definitely works for you," Sydney noted. Sark rolled his eyes.  
"You would think so."  
"Of course I would." He smiled lightly, searching for a pair of pants.  
"So what's the plan Syd?" he questioned as he rifled through a suitcase. At her prolonged silence, he stopped his search and glanced up to find her giving him an odd look.  
"What?" he asked, somewhat defensively.  
"You just called me Syd," she stated.  
"Is that a problem?" Sark said, looking perplexed.  
"Oh, no, not at all… it's just very rare, coming from you."  
"Well, I happen to be rather fond of your full first name, Sydney," he replied.  
"Oh yeah? Well that's good, because I happen to be rather fond of yours as well, Adam." He grinned at her as he finally found the pants he wanted. She briefly outlined the plan for him as they prepared for bed.  
"So what's my role? Stay in the hotel room and just wait?"   
"Honestly, I don't know. Maybe Vaughn will get in touch with you in the morning."  
"I'm a bit worried about this whole thing," Sark admitted.   
"So am I," Sydney replied. "But we've already come this far. We've gotta go through with it."  
"I know. Just promise you'll be careful, dealing with Sloane."  
"Of course I will," she replied, kissing him lightly before falling into bed for some much needed sleep. He followed suit after turning off the lights.


End file.
